Funny How Competitive Situation Impacts Fiber Deployments

Apparently Murdoch's Internet Brilliance Not Yet Translated To Video Downloads

from the getting-it? dept

Mon, Aug 14th 2006 11:00am — Mike Masnick

It's barely worth mentioning, since it's getting press coverage all over, but Fox and Microsoft have teamed up to offer downloadable movies and TV shows. If the details sound familiar, it's because it's the same exact deal we've seen before from others: convenient movie downloads minus the convenience. That is, it's more expensive than most DVDs and is incredibly limited in how you can use it thanks to overly burdensome copy protection. As submitter Rajesh points out, wasn't Rupert Murdoch supposed to be the big media baron who actually "gets" the internet? Turns out (as expected) he's just another old media guy trying to make new media act more like old media.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

12 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2006 @ 11:18am

ooooh, look
oooh, more crippled content I won't buy until its been hacked.

I can't wait til they let me buy HD movies and download a 40 gb image. Of course, they wont host it. They'll force everyone to use crappy p2p protocols and offload the burden of hosting to their poor consumers, who are already paying more for the content than they should be.

Oh joy!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Republican Gun, 14 Aug 2006 @ 12:06pm

The Eisner Ad Above ^
Michael Eisner has a show on CNBC!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2006 @ 12:21pm

Re: The Eisner Ad Above ^
LOL!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
AdverseE, 14 Aug 2006 @ 1:20pm

Murdoch
Did anyone really fall for this "Murdoch is an Internet Genius line of BS." Here's the reality: Rupert Murdoch bought the right website at the right time with the result being a whole lot of media exposure (and nothing else.) He is no more an Internet genius than he is a Democrat.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Topher3106, 14 Aug 2006 @ 1:28pm

Who watches Fox?
I mean, honestly, who watches Fox anymore. They kill off any show that shows an ounce of creativity or intelligence and dump millions into idiotic twitcoms and American Idol.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Bum, 14 Aug 2006 @ 1:32pm

Murdoch
Dude.... I don't think Murdock is a Democrat.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Bob Jones, 14 Aug 2006 @ 1:43pm

The movies part really does suck but the TV part, it is so much better than Apple. We get to use it on 4 damn devices, 2 computers and 2 portable devices - that is great for only $1.99, how much do you think Murdoch would earn from advertising if you watched a show 4 times? A lot more.

You can stop whining about owning it forever and doing whatever your bleeding heart wants, it won't happen, but be happy when something good like this comes along.

I never understanding selling movies, they all seem to charge horrible prices - but 4 devices is damn good.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2006 @ 1:58pm

Re: Bob Jones
"You can stop whining about owning it forever and doing whatever your bleeding heart wants, it won't happen,"

Hi Bob, Welcome to my country, the USA. Here we have laws that protect the consumers. And when we purchase something we expect it to be ours forever. Right now, the laws say that we are entitled to that.

If you wish to surrender yor consumer rights, please make sure you do that in another country. I'll not be taking kindly to you surrendering my rights for me.

Right now, we have a law that says we can platform shift our legally purchased media to our hearts content. DRM restricts the ability to exercise that right. You have already surrendered your right to platform shift your itms shows, and have consigned yourself to watching that which you legally purchased on 4 devices. ever. Apparently, you are buying into plot to make you purchase that content again if you ever desire to watch it on a device that you no longer own (doesnt matter why, you could have sold it, it could have broken, it could be the same device that was replaced under warranty 4 times, it doesnt matter).

By all means, that is your right. But don't EVER expect me to surrender my rights because you're too weak to believe in/know/exercise your own.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2006 @ 2:09pm

Re: Bob Jones
cheers to the above comment. I purchase something, it is mine. i want to use it cross-platform, not on someone else's choice of 4 platforms, I want it to be mine to used where I want it.
i don't really want to download an over-priced, low-quality, small resolution movie and watch it through someone else's choice of output.
I like my control over my things.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Alan MadLeese, 14 Aug 2006 @ 2:16pm

Re: Murdoch.
Speaking of Mister Murdoch, he recently, through his minions no doubt, advised a mag that he would sue them six ways from Sunday if it printed L.A. blogger Trent Lapinski's expose on MySpace. Trent. who is my partner-in-virture in investigatining MySpace, we've been at it since March 27, has a bulletproof article, edited, fact-checked to a farethewell, and the mag, after getting scared off by Murdoch's battalions, paid Trent in full and released rights to the expose of MySpace to Trent. Vastly irritated with Mr. Murdoch, Trent hied himself off to the Caribbean for a week -- it was last Friday when he toldme about this -- and willbe back within a week to again try to get his expose on MySpace published. I have notified BuzzMachine, Konspiracy Korners, Scobleizer, and somebody else, I forget who, about this atrocity- a billionaire suing a college journalist who ojsut turned 20-years-of-age -- and have kind of indicazted that the blogworld ought to rise up in indignation about all this, but then who likes to tussle with a thousandpoundgorillafromdownunder. Al MacLeese, Hallowell, Maine, which is oodles better a spot to live than wherever you might be.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ric, 14 Aug 2006 @ 2:40pm

Fox's great decisions
Fox is great at making decisions on what people want. Just look at their broadcasting decisions...

air COPS 25% of the day.

Cancel the following 'terrible shows':

titus
firefly
family guy (then take 4 years or so to fix the mistake)
greg the bunny (questionable)
undeclared

now that the garbage is gone... lets drag the simpsons out 5 seasons to long, and air more poorly thought out reality TV.

They definately predicted what people wanted. Bull's eyes on every single decision.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Celes, 14 Aug 2006 @ 8:22pm

Re: Fox's great decisions
Which 25% of the day does Cops take up? I can't speak for the entire nation, but on my local FOX channel, it's on once per weekday and maybe twice on Saturday.

I do miss Titus, though...
[ link to this | view in thread ]